


gave my heart to the ocean, gave my soul to the sea

by JujuRotfuchs



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bittersweet, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MerMay, MerMay 2018, Mermaids, Nudity, POV Otabek Altin, angst with sweet stuff in between, otayuri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 05:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14730567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JujuRotfuchs/pseuds/JujuRotfuchs
Summary: All his life, Otabek had loved the sea. After a night of heavy storm and rain, Otabek finds something washed ashore that's so beautiful, he'll come to think that it must be a gift from the ocean itself.





	gave my heart to the ocean, gave my soul to the sea

The raging storm had the walls of Otabek’s house shaking even though he build it out of steady wood, nestled between the everlasting cliffs that sheltered the beach from the ocean.  
But the wind was coming from the water, letting waves crash to the shore with a lethal force. In the morning Otabek would have to tangle all kinds of seaweed from his nets, if there were any of them left intact that was.  
With the rain pouring like this and lighting dancing over the water, Otabek could only pray that his fishing boat would make it through the storm in one piece or he’d had a serious problem on his hands.

Thunder shook the deserted bay once more, laying darkness over Otabek’s peaceful home.

The rain stopped by dawn, leaving pieces of kelp and broken wood all over the wet sand. Otabek, who had barely slept, headed down the path that led from the beach to his house on the cliffs to check on the damage and his boat.

His feet had just touched the wet sand when something unusual caught his eye. The air was still foggy and grey but there on the shore lay something that looked...almost human.

Forgetting all caution, Otabek sprinted across the beach and fell to his knees next to the lifeless form, he at first thought to be a girl. Long blonde hair, crusted with sand and salt, made him think so before he took a closer look at the pale, naked body.

A boy. Beautiful and fragile with skin glowing so white like the gleaming underbelly of some exotic fish Otabek had caught before.  
Breathless, Otabek reached out in hope to find a pulse, gasping when he touched icy skin.

It was like waking up from a dream. The boy must’ve been out in the storm by night, almost drowning for all Otabek could tell. He was wet and cold, surely about to die from undercooling. The pulse Otabek had found was weak and hidden beneath some furrows on the boy's neck, that he decided to take a closer look at later. For now, he needed to save that boy.

Carefully pulling him into his arms, Otabek noticed that the boy was not only covered in sand but also in pieces of seaweed and broken shells.

Knowing that the next healer was living far away in the next town, Otabek carried the boy up to his house where he quickly wrapped him up in some woolen blankets before rushing to his tub like basin to fill it with warm water. The boy needed to warm up and get cleaned before Otabek could check him for any further injuries.

Once the basin was filled, Otabek picked the boy from the blankets and let him glide in the water. He studied the boys face in fascination as his hair fell back, exposing his beauty.

Arched eyebrows and high cheekbones. Curved lips and a small, pointed nose. The only thing amiss was some color in his cheeks and the almost blue hue to his lips.

Otabek felt his heart clench in worry for the stranger, finding himself praying that he would wake up soon in good health again.  
To busy himself, Otabek left the boy for a short moment, trying to find some clothes for him to wear.

He dropped the shirt he was holding up in fright when he heard a loud splash from his washroom and hasted to look after the boy, fearing he might have slipped in the tub and hurt himself further.

Otabek though, stopped dead in his tracks when he took in the sight he was greeted with. The boy had woken, staring at him with large eyes, glimmering green like shattered wine bottles.  
His chest was rapidly rising with quick breaths and for the first time, Otabek noticed the iridescent scales covering parts of his shoulders and sides, previously hidden by dirt and sand. His ears appeared to look more pointed now and the furrows at his neck almost seemed like...gills.

Which shouldn’t come as a surprise once Otabek saw the large fish-tail hanging over his bathtub, translucent fin almost touching down to the floor.  
It was breathtaking, gleaming and shimmering with every time Otabek blinked. Its scales seemed to change colors in the light and underwater, silver-white hued with blues and greens, like the iridescent inside of some shells Otabek had found caught in his nets before.

“Mermaid.” Otabek whispered in awe, wondering if he was perhaps still dreaming.

The boy - mermaid - splashed his fin once more, sending water flying everywhere. Otabek wondered if he was scared and whether or not he thought Otabek held him here against his will.

“Don’t be scared.” Otabek assured him in a calm voice. “I won’t hurt you.” He hoped that the boy would understand him. “I brought you here to help you, I didn’t know you belonged to the ocean.”

The boy eyed him wearily and didn’t speak.

“Can you understand me?” Otabek asked and was met with silence.

This wasn’t a fairytale after all, how should a mermaid speak in a human tongue if he lived his life deep down in the ocean where no human ever went?

Otabek gestured towards himself, pointing at his chest. “Otabek. I’m Otabek.” Maybe the mermaid could learn.

It took him a few more tries but finally the boy placed his hand, now with thin skin connecting his fingers, against his own chest. He gurgled out a sound like there was water flooding his lungs before Otabek understood him.

“Yuri?” Otabek asked and the mermaid splashed his tail once more, wetting the floor.

“Yuri.” The boy confirmed.

Otabek smiled, feeling a flood of emotions rush over him. Relief that the boy had woken, delight that he didn’t seem completely terrified of him and most of all, absolute enchantment that there was a beautiful mermaid laying in his bathtub that seemed to relax the more Otabek talked to him.

“I’m gonna take care of you, Yuri. Nurse you back to health and then I’ll bring you back home, I promise.”

Yuri blinked at him with large eyes, curious even though he didn’t seem to understand a word except his own name.

It didn’t bother Otabek too much. As someone who’d loved the ocean all his life, it felt like a gift that he was allowed to see someone like Yuri.  
He was chosen to discover one of the many secrets the sea held and he swore to himself to keep it until the day he died. Never would he want to endanger something so precious and beautiful like Yuri.

For the next few days he nursed Yuri back to health. Feeding him fish, combing his hair, treating the scratches and small wounds on his skin. Yuri seemed more trusting towards Otabek each day, smiling and splashing his fin when Otabek walked into the room or told him long stories he couldn’t understand. Yuri seemed to like the sound of his voice.

Otabek wished that Yuri could tell some of his stories as well and with each day that passed and had him knowing that Yuri was no longer in any danger, Otabek grew sad. He liked having someone around to come home to. As much as he liked the solitude of the sea unfurling in front of his home, he did sometimes get lonely.

And he liked Yuri. Found himself lost in his deep-sea eyes and his small, sharp smile. He could look at his beautiful face for hours and count the shimmering scales on his pale skin. He didn’t want to be without him again, even though he knew that it wouldn’t be right to keep him out of selfish reasons.

Yuri wasn’t like the dog that followed Otabek home when he was a kid. He couldn’t just adopt him like that. Yuri was as smart and emotionally aware as a human, Otabek was sure of that. He had the right to be free and Otabek wouldn’t take that from him.

And it wasn’t like Otabek could ask him to stay with him. How would that work? The boy couldn’t live in Otabek’s basin for the rest of his days.

When the day came to bring Yuri back to the ocean and Otabek’s heart ached in a way he hadn’t known before.

“Time to go home.” Otabek announced to Yuri with a sad smile at which Yuri furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

He made a gasping sound of surprise when Otabek bent down to pick him out of the tub but wrapped his arms around his shoulders regardless, looking a little lost.  
Otabek struggled a little, finding that Yuri’s tail made him much heavier as he carried him out the house.

Yuri looked around a little anxiously, nails digging into Otabek’s neck slightly. Otabek couldn’t tell what he was so nervous about but Yuri tightened his grip around Otabek’s shoulders and looked at him questioningly.

Otabek tried to smile. “It’s all gonna be alright, Yuri. I promised I’d bring you home, remember? You don’t belong with me, gorgeous. Although I wish you would.”

His boots stepped on the soft beach sand and Otabek looked to the sea, which laid calm and turquoise under the sun like it did on most days but today, the sight didn’t bring him any peace.

Deep in this heart, Otabek knew that from now on, he would always look at it with longing, missing the boy who’d stolen his heart.

Now Yuri seemed to finally realize what was going on but his reaction confused Otabek. Yuri looked at the ocean and then back at him, with eyes wide and scared, frantically shaking his head.

Otabek swallowed against the burning in his own eyes. “It’s your home. You can’t live in a tub.” He stepped closer to the shore, feeling like Yuri’s tail got heavier with each step.

Knowing that he couldn’t put Yuri down in the wet sand, Otabek carried him into the ocean until the water came up to his chest. Yuri clung to him tightly, arms wrapped around his shoulders, tail curled around his thighs. He had his face buried against Otabek’s neck, breathing harshly against the skin there.

“It’s better this way.” Otabek told him sadly. “I’m going to miss you but even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could ever forget you.”

It took Otabek a lot of coaxing to get Yuri to look at him again, expression unreadable when he finally did. His eyes seemed to beg him but what for, Otabek wasn’t sure.

“You’re a miracle.” He told him. “You’re my miracle.”

He pried Yuri’s arms off him and placed him between the waves like he would with some fish he caught, that were too small to be sold on the market.  
Amrs empty, Otabek took a few steps back, stumbling in the water. Yuri looked like he wanted to rush forward and reach for him again but then, seemingly out of nowhere, a big wave appeared and swallowed him, pulling him down into the deep.

Struggling for breath like he was about to drown, Otabek headed back to the shore, clothes sticking wetly to his skin.  
Maybe all the stories about men finding their death by meeting a mermaid had come from broken hearts, Otabek wondered, feeling a little like dying himself.

  
  
  
As if the heaven was feeling his pain, this night it started to pour until the calm surface of the sea trembled under the pressure of the rain. Water was drumming so loudly against the roof and windows of Otabek’s home, he wondered if there was another storm coming. It didn’t do anything to lighten his mood but instead reminded him of Yuri once more.

Sullenly, Otabek huddled up inside by the fire, finding that his wool blanket was still entangled with pieces of dry seaweed and sand. His heart felt heavy.

He wondered how long it would take until the magical memories of the last few days wouldn’t hurt anymore but found himself doubting that this would ever be the case.

How was one supposed to go back to their normal life, once they’d touched magic? It seemed impossible. Wrong.

Feeling tired, Otabek contemplated simply going to bed. His skin was itchy with seasalt and his eyes burned for a different reason, making him feel more exhausted than he would’ve if he spent all day out on his fishing boat in the blinding sun.

He was about to head to bed when he paused to strain his ears, believing he’d heard an unusual noise. But with the heavy rain, he couldn’t make out its source, thinking that maybe the wind knocked something over outside.  
Cleaning up his living room and putting his blankets away, he considerably tried to make less noise himself so he’d be more alerted sould any strange sounds return.

Otabek wondered just how tired he was when he imagined hearing knocks on his door. It seemed laughable that anyone should visit his remote home in the middle of the night, let alone during this downpour. But the rattle sounded just too familiar, even if it wasn’t often that Otabek got any visitors. So he paused again before he made his way to the door, feeling a little wary.

Opening his door he was first met with the coulded night sky, blurry from the rain that slapped Otabek in the face, ice cold and a little painful. He gasped for air and opened his eyes again, that he had scrunched shut in reflex, only to gasp for breath once more.

It couldn’t be but there in front of him, holding onto the doorframe with all his strength, stood a naked boy on violently shaking legs that threatened to give out under him at any moment.

His long blonde hair was plastered wetly to his shoulders like kelp and rain was dripping from his long lashes. His pale skin glowed almost silver in the dark of the night and he looked a little like a washed out dream, too foggy to catch.

Otabek wanted to believe his eyes more than anything but his mind had trouble catching up.

“Yuri.” He whispered disbelievingly, wondering if he was seeing a ghost.

At the sound of his name, the boy stumbled forward just as Otabek was reaching his arms out to catch him. His legs gave out beneath him, too weak to carry his weight. Otabek let him fall into his arms, welcoming the way the boy clung to his neck and pierced the skin there with his nails. The pain meant that this was real, that he wasn’t imagining things.

Yuri was clinging to him with as much devastation as Otabek had felt, wetting his clothes as he pressed himself closer. His hair was dripping small rivers over Otabek’s hands as he lifted him into his arms, carrying him inside since he couldn’t walk on his own.

He almost forgot to close the door behind him, feeling so awed still. Otabek sunk to the floor where he stood with Yuri still in his arms, who was looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes while Otabek gaped at him like he was a dream come true.

Yuri’s blue lips and the fact that he was still wet and shaking, finally brought Otabek back to reality and he reached for one of his coats that hung by the door to place it over Yuri’s shoulders.

With trembling fingers, Otabek pushed the wet strands of hair behind Yuri’s ears and then he found that he couldn’t stop himself. He let his fingers brush over his temples and cheekbones before he finally cupped Yuri’s face in his hands.

“What are you doing here?” He whispered, still somehow scared that this moment would shatter at any second.

Yuri didn’t answer but raised his own hands from Otabek’s neck to brush through his hair and touch his lips gently, eyes full of wonder and curiosity.

Otabek’s heartbeat stilled when Yuri leaned towards him, close enough for him to instinctively closed his eyes. A moment later there were lips pressed against his, cautiously at first but quickly becoming firmer, almost despatale.

Yuri tasted like salt and rain when Otabek opened his mouth against his but his lips were getting warmer the longer they kissed. There were water drops dripping from Yuri’s lashes onto Otabek’s cheeks, rolling down his face like tears.

Otabek barely noticed them through the rushing inside his ears and the rapid fluttering of his heart. Kissing Yuri was like breathing magic, like drowning in the glimmering sunlight that was catching at the surface of the sea.

They parted slowly and only when Otabek’s own shirt had soaked enough for him to start shivering as well. They should both move from the floor and warm up again but neither of them let go of the other, still clinging to each other tightly.

“I wish you could tell me why you’ve come back.” Otabek murmured, drinking Yuri in with his eyes. “I wish you could tell me _how_.”

Yuri’s only answer was another kiss, lighter and shorter this time.

“I want you to know that I never wanted to let you go in the first place. That I’m beyond happy you’re back but I don’t know what to do now. What should I do, gorgeous?”

Otabek was stroking Yuri’s cheeks and the boy leaned into the touch, his glimmering eyes never leaving Otabek’s face like he wanted to understand him but couldn’t.

“Don’t you know that you belong to the ocean, my love? That the sea is your home?”

Yuri opened his mouth and through a lot of gurgling and choking, words spilled out like a torrent of water. “Otabek home. You’re home.”  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> My accidental contribution for MerMay. I had so much fun writing this and loved how this turned out. I hope you enjoyed reading it too. It would be lovely if you'd leave me some comments & kudos, thanks <3


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